Vera Rubin was the only woman to graduate in astronomy at Vassar College in 1948. Credit: Vassar College Library It was Rubin who realized that if a halo of dark matter adorned each galaxy, matter would spread throughout the galaxy instead of concentrating in the centre and the force of gravity and orbital velocity would be similar in all parts. Vera Rubin, who confirmed dark matter, has died at 88. Dark matter pioneer Vera Rubin gets a new observatory named after her The researcher found evidence of dark matter and broke barriers for women in science Her number one claim to fame is all about dark matter. New, 7 comments. Our understanding of the universe has evolved thanks to contributions from many scientists, including Vera Rubin. Rubin, who passed away in 2016, pioneered the study of galaxy rotation rates that provided definitive evidence for the existence of dark matter and was also a strong advocate for women in science. The Swiss American astronomer Fritz Zwicky Throughout her career, Rubin studied hundreds of galaxies and collected valuable data about what’s going on in space. Vera Rubin didn’t need a Nobel Prize; the Nobels needed her. Vera Rubin and Dark Matter By Benjamin Johnson. These data are measurements of the orbital velocities of interstellarmatter in galaxies. Detecting this dark matter will help astronomers better comprehend the universeÕs destiny Dark Matter in the Universe by Vera Rubin A UNIVERSAL VIEW FRANÇOIS SCHWEIZER Carnegie Institution of Washington, BRAD WHITMORE Rubin’s Greatest Discovery. When Vera Rubin was 14, she fashioned a home-made telescope out of a cardboard tube and began scanning the night sky. One of Vera Rubin's important contributions to astrophysics is the collectionof conclusive data pointing to the presence of dark matter in galaxies. Vera Rubin, (Vera Florence Cooper), American astronomer (born July 23, 1928, Philadelphia, Pa.—died Dec. 25, 2016, Princeton, N.J.), made groundbreaking observations that provided evidence for the existence of a vast amount of dark matter in the universe. She was one of the first women to receive a doctoral degree at the university. 106 Scientific American Presents Dark Matter in the Universe As much as 90 percent of the matter in the universe is invisible.